Dementia becomes leading cause of death in Australia as experts call for ‘shift in thinking’ about disease

Dementia has become the leading cause of death in Australia, a development that has prompted public health experts to call for a “shift in thinking” about the disease.

An estimated 446,500 people in the country are living with the disease as of 2026, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.